Although our final exam was scheduled for Tuesday, we still have a bit of class time today (Thursday) to finish up any missing parts.
First, your group presentation should be posted on one of your group's blog. Everyone in your group should still create a short, new post about your part in your presentation. Tell the class where your presentation can be found, which slides are yours, and finally, include what you think the most important facts about your part of the presentation is. What was the biggest thing you learned? What should we know by seeing/reading your slide?
Next, you should read/watch all the class presentations. Under each group's presentation, click the comment icon and leave a thoughtful comment. Include something(s) new you've learned, any questions you might have, and a concrete word of praise! (Not...good job...I learned a lot...Say what you learned specifically!)
With time left, read everyone's book response posts. Leave meaningful comments. Comment specifically to what they say...make a connection with their book post...ask a question you have...leave an opinion about the post or book...be careful to be kind! Of course, it goes without saying that your own first semester book posts have been due and are part of your final grade!
Congratulations on a great finish to our first semester together. I hope you have a restful, peaceful, happy winter break. When we return, we will dive in to A Streetcar Named Desire, a play by Tennessee Williams. Our short study of Southern culture should help build background to the characters and setting.
In the process of building our blog, online personalities emerge, and it's a joy to see who we are. The great news is we have everyone linked, and at this point all of us should have at least two posts: Ten Things About Me and Book Buzz (or Talk): Title of Your Book. If you have misplaced your directions, follow this link to Ms. Reaves's post, and you will see clear directions.
Meantime, if you are behind in blogging, you can always get caught up on your own anytime by accessing your blog or our website. Today as time permits, we'll work with our groups to create a simple Southern culture presentation, each member contributing either a summary of articles, collections of pictures and explanation, or video and explanation. Should be fun.
Stay on course.
It's tempting at this time of year to slow down and let things pile up, but don't! We are almost to the end of first semester. Be sure you have handed in all short story materials, including your freewrites. (I have very few grades for them!)
Oh, my dear 2nd block. I will miss each and every one of you. Parkview has been my home for (nearly) four months and to think of my life outside the four walls of this classroom is difficult. I hope you know that it's difficult not because of the school or the room itself, but because of you. In your very own ways, you have given me an experience that I will never forget. Being your teacher has been the greatest honor and I hope that you all respect yourselves enough to know that you are capable of great things. I have seen it in this classroom, and I know that you will continue to do so with Ms. James.
Over the past few months, I have come to know Ms. James very well. To be frank, I love her and so should you. She often says that she and I are kindred spirits and I couldn't agree more. My placement at Parkview was entirely serendipitous (look it up!). Out of all of the English classrooms in Springfield, I was given to her. Rather than proudly hold the reins the entire semester, she gave me freedom and we were able to create a community of learners that I hope each and every one of you is proud of. There is a truly wonderful teacher in your midst. I'll give you a hint: It's not me...or Robin Williams. ;)
And it wouldn't be 2nd block if Zack didn't have something to say. :)
Notice Kelsey and Naomi having a laugh?
There are too many stories to tell about the time I have spent with you this semester, but suffice it to say that I will remember them all. Not everyone was in class when we took our class photo (right), which makes me sad, but that's not to say we won't take another if I ever stop by for a visit. I plan on returning to check in on you, so be sure that next time you practice facing forward. Picture-taking is a valuable skill, as represented in the fabricated term "selfie." We are a class that values technology, are we not?
I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas break. If you have not written me a letter and still wish to do so, Ms. James knows where to find me. I will write one back to you, as I did with other students.
For those of you who did write, thank you. Your letters brought me to tears and made me seriously contemplate staying forever without pay. I will cherish them always.
And for now, goodbye. Or, let's settle on see you soon. Goodbye is too final a word. :)
Here is the link to your Google Form Quiz. It is over the short stories that we've read in class, vocabulary, and other activities. Each question is derived from the questions that you created for our Professor Know-It-All game.
Last week, I asked each of you to write a post detailing twelve things about yourself that you would like to share with the class. This can be an intimidating task, but I was impressed by your efforts. The posts that Ms. James and I have read so far have been incredibly well done. I can tell that a lot of work went into these thoughtful posts and I'm glad that so many of you were able to get done before Thanksgiving.
For those of you who are done with this task, the next item on the list will be your Book Talk/Buzz post. In this post, you will do three things:
1. Provide a short summary of the book that will give your readers enough information about the plot, setting, characters, and conflict to interest them, but also without giving away too many spoilers! A paragraph or two should suffice.
2. A quote from your book or a favorite scene, character, or passage. This should be a quote or passage or scene that you think contributed to the book as a whole. Perhaps it is a good description of the main character or represents the author's writing style. If you don't have access to your book anymore, look for the quote online or paraphrase or describe what you can remember, giving credit where credit is due.
3. What do you think the author's message to the reader was, or what lesson(s) did you encounter in reading this book? What is your recommendation for readers? Think about who you would like to recommend your book to--based on genre, length, difficultly level, events of interest, intriguing characters, etc. Spend about a paragraph here as well.
Take a look at Autumn's post from 2nd block if you need ideas.
This is a photo of the recent Springfield Little Theatre
production that Ms. James and I attended.
Also, coming up, you will be working on group research projects, which will lead up to reading A Streetcar Named Desire next semester. These projects are based on the individual research you have done thus far about the South, so the information you will need is already at your disposal. I think this will be a fun way to share your knowledge with the rest of the class!
Greetings 2nd Block! Today is our first day of blogging and to
celebrate, I thought I would share a few things about myself that you
may or may not know. Check out my post below if you feel you simply must
know more about me!!! :)
1. I love to teach! It's so rewarding, if
challenging, and definitely an excellent way to spend my future. Try talking to high schoolers about poetry. Oh
yeah...nevermind.
2. Travelling!!! I LOVE TO TRAVEL.
This
picture is me in London three years ago. We were only there for ten
days, give or a take one or two traveling, and it was the most brilliant
thing I have ever beheld.
3. Until last summer, I had
never been to St. Louis. Call me crazy, but I've lived in Missouri my
entire life, and St. Louis was apparently just too far way. I went with a
friend of mine and actually touched the Mississippi River. Not too
shabby, eh?
4. I am a musical nut. I love musicals. You name it, I probably love it. This summer I saw Wicked in Tulsa, OK, and I've also seen Phantom of the Opera live.
5.
Movies. Movies are my thing. I love literature, but I also feel like
film is an excellent medium to study. A new favorite of mine is Cloud Atlas,
which raises questions about life, death, and love across time and
space. It is not cheesy, however, just in case you're interested.
6.
I'm a gift giver. Giving people gifts makes me happy. I'm that person
on Christmas who is more excited about watching people open their
presents than actually opening my own!
7. I have three
younger siblings. My sister is a freshman at MSU and I have two younger
brothers, ages 16 and 13. They attend school at Logan-Rogersville.
8.
Pins. I am an amateur pin collector, but I'm afraid to lose them, so I
only use them to decorate and not actually to put on my bags or lanyard.
What's the point, then? Well, I'm not quite sure.
9. I
LOVE ART. I believe that anything can be considered art, from paintings
to films, architecture to literature. My best friend took this picture
on our second only trip to Jeff City and I think it is quite
magnificent.
10.
Last month, I saw Richard Marx in concert. If you don't know who he is,
it's okay. Apparently, the 80's days of soft rock and love ballads are
past. But, if you want to know what songs he sings, check out the lame
videos I took with my camera here.
Thanks for reading and I hope that you enjoy the blogging experience. It's going to be fun, yeah?
*Some years
ago I broke both my right wrist and my left ankle, and while I was convalescing
in a wheel chair, the school year started without me. This is when I began blogging with my class as a way to meet my new students and for them to get to know me.
*I love to
dress my dogs in the costumes of the characters we read...Katie's poster of Van Gogh hangs on our classroom
wall.
*My
childhood nickname was Barbie and my first boyfriend was Ken.
*I live in a
menagerie with my dear dog friends Miles and Artie and my cat Simon.
Grandkids Hailey and Porter and me celebrating the New Year!
*I am a better
driver today than I used to be. I once sideswiped my sister's garage while
trying to park her car, but when I backed up to get a better aim, I ran over
the water meter!
*I don't
like heights or snakes.
*I wish that
it were stylish to be chubby.
*I love to
hear books read aloud and I love to read aloud.
This summer I read David Copperfield aloud in its
entirety.
My son Kevin and me in Shanghai last year.
*I have
lived in my current home for almost 28 years, but before that I lived
like a gypsy, nesting in four countries throughout my journeys.
*I don't
travel as much as I'd like to anymore, but if I could, I'd spend the summers
wandering the globe. (I'd have to travel like Liz Taylor used to with all of
her pets loaded onto a beautiful ship!)
*I enjoy
long walks, a cup of tea with a good book, and the company of family and
friends.
*I understand
why grandchildren are called GRANDchildren...because they are. I have a seven year-old granddaughter Hailey
and a three-year old grandson Porter, and they are the absolute BEST.
Blogs are an interactive way to share our writing, and we're
excited for you to create your own. Ms. Reaves and I are providing written
instructions on a handout, but we think you'll really just learn as you go.
What we’ve set up here is a central class blog where we will post assignments
and writing by both Ms. Reaves and myself.
When you create your blogs, each of them will be added to a
"blog roll" on the right hand side--this page is where you can hop on
and see what everyone else is up to, and we'll be looking for you to make
supportive and appropriate comments on your classmates' blogs, like you did in
our poetry "verse" gallery.
Some things to know/keep in mind:
A post is a new entry you create from scratch with your own
thoughts and ideas. A comment is an idea or thought you attach to someone else's
post.
Since this blog is part of our class, we aren't using our
blogs for socializing like Facebook or texting. We hope you're kind and friendly
to one another, but resist posting casual messages or silly small talk or
really anything not related to our work together as a class.
When you've created your own blog today, leave the name and
url as a comment here. Ms. Reaves and I will link all of them to this
page and this will be our home base. We do hope you enjoy this process...we’re
here every step of the way so don't hesitate to ask either of us if you have
questions or want some guidance.
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